Can Each One Teach One ?

I have always been captivated by the phrase 'Each One Teach One' and believed in the power it had and the power of one helpful person. While today most of us might not have the time or reach to do so, unlike misconceptions, many of us can easily afford to put a child in school.

I met siblings Sana and Mehraj when I was teaching in Grace Model School (GMS), a low-budget high performing school. Mehraj was my student and Sana a grade higher. Mehraj is an extremely quiet child who is what you may call ‘socially awkward’. Sana is no less of an introvert but they are both very friendly and extremely kind. Their father has a road side scrap shop which barely lets ends meet at home. His two older children work with him at the shop since he cannot afford to send them all to school. The two younger ones are lucky to be able to go to school every day.

Mehraj and Sana are far behind their learning levels and have difficulty reading and writing. Nonetheless, they are among the most hard working, earnest students who are always on time to school, extremely disciplined and always open to learning. I have seen them take time off their lunch breaks to complete their sums and finish writing since they are almost always behind the rest of the class and are clearly aware of it and most importantly willing to work towards getting better each day.

In my last visit to the school I met Mehraj but Sana was not to be seen in her class.On enquiring with the principal, I was informed that things at home had gotten worse and their father could no longer afford both of their education. Hence Sana being the older one and the girl, now has to stay home all day every day, while Mehraj goes to school on his own. Sana’s years of hard work and catching up with her class has come to an end for now. I hope she does not believe all the hard work was all for nothing.

The sad truth is, the education they can receive is inexpensive, yet, many children do not get the opportunity.

More back story

Two years ago, I taught in a low-income school in Hyderabad. Grace Model School has one of the most hard working Principal that I have come across in my few years of experience in the Education sector. I see innovative practices in the school every time I visit and see how much real learning is happening there - perhaps better than one that many of us received at expensive schools. The staff is dedicated in getting quality education to the students from under privileged backgrounds in the community. More and more students here are comprehending better and thinking critically as well as speaking fluent English. All of which is far-fetched in most budget and low-income schools.

In my recent visits to the school I have realised that many students have dropped out due to poverty at home, and understandably providing a meal is more important for their parents than sending the children to school.

My plan is simple. Get the drop-outs back to school for the next academic year, June 2017. And I need your help for this. If you can pitch in a part of the school fee, sponsor a child or more than one child- these kids do not need to stay home doing house hold chores or work in the nearby market.

My Next Steps

1. Gather sponsors and collect funds2. Meet parents and guardians of the drop-out children3. Set expectations (Around attendance and investment in learning)4. Get the kids in school !5. Use remaining funds to provide scholarships to deserving students sustain-ably

How Can you help?

1. Sponsor one child2. Sponsor more than one child

3. Provide for books for the child4. Donate any amount you may, starting at Rs.100! Every Rupee Counts

If you would personally like to be connected with the child, we will be glad to do the needed. And if you can be a mentor for the child, that would be great as well.

You can choose to sponsor the same child through his/her entire school life.If you would like to sponsor and pay the monthly fee each month (very much encouraged), or for any query please write to me. (sapnafathimasaleem@gmail.com)

Class

Annual Tuition fee in INR

(all Inclusive of

exam fee & term fee)

Text book and note book

fee for 1 academic

year in INR

Class 1

3650

1500

Class 2

4250

1700

Class 3

4250

2000

Class 4

4250

2000

Class 5

5000

2100

Class 6

5600

2200

Class 7

6200

2300

Class 8

6350

2500

Class 9

6950

2500

Class 10

8150

3000

Overall goal and envisioned future

Provide access to my network that allows them to take responsibility for one child’s year-on-year education.

Donated to this campaign via Paytm or bank transfer? Click here if you have not received an email confirmation from Milaap.

21st August 2017

Hey Again Dear Donors, Supporters, Sponsors and Well-wishers!!

In my last update, I talked about how we were able to complete Phase 1 successfully. Here is a snapshot of Phase1 for a quick review.

Phase 1:* School drop outs in the community identified - 12* Existing deserving students identified- 5* Parent awareness and student awareness sessions conducted* MOU signed with 17 parents to respect and accept the scholarships and the 5 criteria to sustain scholarships* 17 scholarships including new year books fee and 12 months of tuition fee paid for.Next steps: Phase 2: Identify 20 students eligible for the scholarship.

I hope you have got the chance to look at our progress above. As promised, we have move on to Phase 2We have identified 21 students who will require the funds for both books and entire year's tuition. These students have been identified on the basis of similar needs as students from the phase 1.Some of the criteria included : Presence/absence of one or more parent, Household income, number of siblings, accommodation - rental/own, etcHere's sincerely thanking your support that has led us to successfully complete Phase 2.

As I think about what we have accomplished together, there is an immense amount of joy - we feel the power of each one of you who has lead us to this collective action and impact. After all, you have been proving that Each One Can Teach One.

All documents for verification of the usage of funds will be available online. Kindly drop an email to me to get access to the drive.

We are keeping our eyes open to a Phase 3, where we may identify a few more students (based on various factors).

You will be kept informed of the same. Look out to hear from us further :)